WASHINGTON — Derek Stepan is apparently no worse for the wear after taking a seemingly inadvertent shot to the head from the Capitals’ Troy Brouwer in a neutral zone collision at 0:51 of the third period that sent the Blueshirts’ center to the room for approximately 10 minutes.

“I feel fine. It happens, it’s part of the game,” Stepan, who took a regular shift after returning to the ice at 8:17, said after the Rangers’ 2-0 victory on Wednesday.

“Obviously I never saw him coming, so I can’t say one way or another [what his intentions were]. He said something on the ice that he didn’t see me.”

Brouwer did not extend his elbow or forearm as he collided with Stepan from the blind, back side as he made his way across the neutral zone heading for the bench.

The winger was not penalized, but one can excuse coach Alain Vigneault for being a little touchy after having lost Rick Nash to a concussion on a head shot last Tuesday in San Jose that has sidelined No. 61 for three games — and counting. Nash will not play on Saturday against the Devils at the Prudential Center.

“The ref said it was accidental contact,” Vigneault said. “I looked at the replay and if [Brouwer] couldn’t see him I don’t know what he was looking at.

“The principal point of contact was the head, so we’ll see…”

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Carl Hagelin, who has been sidelined all season as he rehabs from surgery to repair a torn labrum he underwent following the Rangers’ playoff elimination in late May, has been cleared for contact beginning with Friday’s practice.

“It was a very complex procedure,” Hagelin said on Tuesday. “It’s been tough mentally, but the shoulder has definitely improved a lot over the last month and I think I’m on target.”

The top-six winger is eligible to come off the Long Term Injury list for the Blueshirts’ Oct. 29 match at the Coliseum against the Islanders.

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General manager Glen Sather told The Post the Rangers have no interest in bought-out former Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov as a back-up to Henrik Lundqvist.

Bryzgalov, whose tryout with ECHL Las Vegas has ended, is waiting for a call from an NHL club. It won’t be coming from the Blueshirts.

“No,” Sather said, scoffing at the notion while putting his tongue in his cheek. “We have enough problems.”